The Case of the Wayward Wolf
by ssklarolinewrites
Summary: A prominent resident of Mystic Falls is murdered.
1. Chapter 1

The Case of the Wayward Wolf

Chapter 1

Trees swayed dangerously to and fro, groaning ominously. Colored leaves flew across the ground in sheets, covering the grass. Flowers were beheaded violently. The lawn was already littered with refuse and it was only just beginning. Rain pelted the windows, sometimes viciously, drowning out conversation as it battered the windows.

What once had been perfectly manicured had been ravaged by Mother Nature. Anything not tied down was at her mercy. The wrought iron patio furniture had been taken for a ride. Chairs slid along the red bricks with hair raising screeches. The umbrella, turned into a projectile by a particularly nasty gust, got caught in the woods behind the house.

The sun had set well over an hour ago, but even before then the skies had been black and foreboding. The clouds were low, churning across the sky. The storm felt alive, energy coursing through its veins.

Gusts of wind had been clocked at over 80 miles per hour and Mystic Falls, Virginia would be experiencing the worst of it.

Hurricane Claudette was making her presence known.

"Bonnie," Caroline Forbes said in a fierce whisper, "you said you'd be here by now."

"I know, Care. I'm trying," she replied, eyes on the slick road in front of her.

Caroline sat down in a delicate pale gray armchair with a sigh. The formal living room was beautiful, but it hadn't seemed like anyone had been in it for months. The air was stale, but it offered privacy.

They'd been on the phone for twenty minutes already and Bonnie reminded her a number of times that she was trying to get there.

Caroline Forbes was in Mystic Falls for her friend Bonnie Bennett. It was Thanksgiving weekend and they were supposed to spend it together. Friends since Vanderbilt, the women didn't get to see each other often enough since graduation. The holiday weekend was supposed to remedy that.

It wasn't just being assigned as roommates their freshman year that brought the women together.

It was the supernatural.

Spring break sophomore year, Caroline, Bonnie, and two of their friends went to New Orleans for Spring Break. It should have been fun, sun, guys, and French Quarter excess.

What followed was Caroline Forbes being turned into the undead. She had become a vampire, the result of a series of misfortunate events. Afraid of being near her friends or telling her family, Caroline withdrew into herself. Recognizing the signs she'd learned from her Grams as a child, Bonnie confided that she was a witch and knew what Caroline was. The tears shed were cathartic.

And while vampires and witches were naturally antagonistic, their friendship was made stronger because there were no secrets between them. Bonnie told Caroline everything she knew about vampires to help her, even providing a daylight ring. It was a difficult time, but Caroline came out stronger for it and the traumatic experience brought Bonnie back to the magic she'd been neglecting.

Bonnie Bennett was a native of Mystic Falls and invited Caroline to spend Thanksgiving with her and her father. Since her own father had passed and her mom had to work and also since Thanksgiving was a time for family and Bonnie was nothing if not family, Caroline had accepted the invitation.

The drive from Atlanta wasn't too bad, but there were a lot of cars on the road. Most were headed away from where the storm was expected to hit though. She left with plenty of time and rather than going to the Bennett house, Bonnie told her to meet elsewhere.

It was Bonnie who had a harder time. Her flight from Chicago had been delayed due to the storm. She was driving to the Lockwood mansion where she would meet Caroline, trying to outrace the wind. Fortunately, the evacuation routes all led west, which was the direction she was going so the roads hadn't been closed.

Tyler Lockwood hosted a party the night before Thanksgiving every year. Since his own parents had died, leaving him very wealthy, the parties had gotten bigger and better. A hundred guests would usually gather and the hurricane wasn't keeping Tyler down. Anyone who made it to the house was welcome to wait out the storm he had tweeted out. Multiple kegs had been delivered and the freezer was full of frozen pizza. Unfortunately, only a few people made it through so far.

"Tell me again who's there and I'll tell you embarrassing stories about them from high school," Bonnie teased, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Caroline smirked and kept her voice low. "Tyler invited me in with his shirt off and what was probably his seventh beer in his hand. He's good looking, but he knows it and is kind of a creep."

"In high school he wore a do-rag," Bonnie told her, which made her laugh, able to picture it perfectly.

"He called me babe and told me I could use his shower and since he believed in water conservation, we should shower together," she said with a roll of her eyes. It had taken everything to not tell him off, but she was being gracious if it killed her. Maybe she should just kill him and call it a day. He was Bonnie's friend though and she was waiting for Bonnie.

"Ugh," Bonnie groaned.

Caroline's peripheral vision caught on a pair of guests as they walked past the living room. She'd met them briefly earlier. "Matt and Nicky." He seemed sweet, but she shot daggers at Caroline.

"Vicky," Bonnie corrected. "Matt's a great guy. They're brother and sister. I haven't seen her in years, but if she hasn't changed either, watch your back."

The big house felt too empty. The walls creaked and groaned with the wind. Branches brushed against windows, startling Caroline.

A new deluge came through, making it difficult to hear Bonnie. Water pelted the glass panes, creating a cacophony with the other noises.

In dark jeans and a bright blue peplum top, Caroline was ready for the party…that no one had been able to get to except for a drunk lech, a sketchy woman, and a few others.

In her ear, Caroline heard a loud snapping sound and then a devastating crash.

"Bonnie!?" she leaned forward, willing her friend to be ok.

"Oh my God," Bonnie said, shaken up as came to a stop. "A tree…"

"Are you ok?"

"I think so," she said, in shock. Her car hadn't been hit, but a tree fell, partially coming into the road. It also pulled down wires and caused sparks. The headlights picked up the terrifying scene as her windshield wipers put up a valiant fight, but they were losing.

"Can you make it home?" Caroline was desperate to see her friend, but her friend's safety was so much more important. There was no question Bonnie had to find a safe place to ride out the hurricane.

Bonnie's breath shuddered as she looked around. "Yeah." A car had been on the road ahead of her, a beacon that she wasn't the only crazy one, but it had made it through before the tree fell. Now she was alone and her dad's house was only 2 miles away.

"Bonnie Bennett, get yourself home and then call me right away. When this is over you owe me an extra large banana split…or a bottle of red wine…or both."

Putting her car in reverse, Bonnie drove through the widening puddles, trying not to hydroplane, or panic. "I'll call you. Bye."

With a worried glance and starting to gnaw her plush lower lip, Caroline clicked off her phone. It looked like she was stranded for the night with strangers in the middle of a hurricane.

Guessing she'd have to ingratiate herself to the others, Caroline stood and walked towards the kitchen, heels clicking against the hardwood floors. Preheating the oven for pizza might go over well.

Before she could make it there, the doorbell rang. The chimes echoed through the foyer. It was another example of the formal nature of the large mansion that didn't fit the adult frat boy resident.

Looking around, no one else was near, so she opened the door. The wind took hold of the wood, stealing it from her grasp, striking the doorstop with a loud bang.

At the same moment, the lights went out. Quickly Caroline saw the outline of a man before everything went black. His features were hidden, but her heart stopped. Rain and wind poured inside, practically blinding her. Everything was being whipped by the wind behind him, yet he was unmoving.

When the lights flicked back on, she saw his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Case of the Wayward Wolf**

 **Chapter 2**

As her eyes adjusted to the lights coming back on and as the wind swept into her face, Caroline saw one of the best looking men she'd ever laid eyes on.

Dark jeans encased his legs. The black North Face jacket was pressed to his body by the hurricane. Lean and taller than her by three or four inches even with her heels, his posture was erect despite the rain driving into him and wind buffeting him.

Stubble covered the lower half of his face. His hair blew around. It looked thick and soft, the color caramel. The porch light made his cheekbones appear sharp and dangerous. Also sharp were his eyes, glinting from the shadows. The color couldn't be discerned. His gaze scorched hers and her hand crept to her throat unbidden, breath caught.

Unconsciously she'd pointed out her own jugular to a man who reminded her of a big, bad wolf.

Her sluggish pulse was loud to her own ears, competing with the creaking woods and whistling wind.

Smoothing loose tendrils of hair trying to block her vision back behind her ears in vain, her mind was blank for only a moment longer.

His long fingers gripped the doorjamb, trying to reach in subtly as he leaned forward, disguising the action as an effort to evade the driving wind and rain. She noticed he couldn't get past the jamb. He needed to be invited in.

The ominous stranger was a vampire.

Hands retreated behind his back when his efforts failed. The elegant move was supposed to make him look non-threatening. It failed.

"Hello love, a bit windy out here. Get Tyler Lockwood, won't you?"

The accent and endearment entranced Caroline and only when the snap of a branch reached her ears did she remember she was standing in the doorway of a stranger's house in the middle of a hurricane.

"Caroline," she offered up softly as a correction a moment later, the words quickly stolen by the wind.

"What?"

"My name's not 'love,' it's Caroline."

The stranger smirked and she was lost all over again when she saw the deep grooves in his cheeks. "Caroline…"

A blood curdling scream pierced the air. It took away from the unnerving pleasure she felt in the way he said her name. Both their heads turned.

Without a second thought, Caroline ran up the stairs, feet barely touching the carpeted treads.

The woman's scream had come from up there.

Heads of partygoers peered out to see what the commotion was.

"No one wants to hear your porn," Damon Salvatore snarked, leaning against an open doorframe with a glass of something, maybe whiskey, in his hand. It didn't appear to be his first of the day.

It wasn't a scream of pleasure. It was a scream of tragedy.

The door to the finished basement opened. "What's going on?"

No one answered because no one knew.

Relying on her senses to lead her in the right direction, Caroline hadn't been up to the second floor yet. The cream colored corridor was long and daunting. Not pausing, Caroline raced until she found the room at the end of the eastern hall.

The sweet smell brought her to a halt. Her gums tightened painfully and black veins that spoke of her death began to appear under her eyes, creeping down her cheeks. Fighting them back with astounding control, the classic, All-American version of her face was recovered.

The forbidding master bedroom door was open.

Feeling a sense of dread matched by the violent storm pounding outside, Caroline gently pushed the thick door open even further, knowing there was no turning back.

Another scream.

Then another.

The tortured shrieks morphed into white noise as her eyes took in the terrible sight.

A chill-inducing crack rent the air followed by a thunderous boom as a large oak tree lining the driveway fell across it, trapping them inside and keeping any brave souls out. Caroline jumped instinctively. The other in the room screamed again at the sight in front of their eyes, oblivious to Mother Nature's vicious demand for homage.

The house no longer served as a sanctuary.

A pool of blood grew achingly slowly around the fallen body.

It was still viscous, not yet clotting. Bright red, it seeped from the form creating a sort of perverse halo on the hardwood floor.

There were no sounds gurgling from his lips spurring them to life saving actions. His eyes weren't pleading for someone to do something. That time had passed. It would have been a miracle if he'd survived. There were no miracles for him that day.

A wooden stake had been shoved deep into his heart.

He wasn't a vampire to be turned into dust.

He had been flesh and blood.

Tyler Lockwood was dead.


	3. Chapter 3

Wolf 3

 _If you're reading this, you are part of a very exclusive club so feel special, because you all are!_

 **Disclaimer: Nope.**

With a shuddering breath, Caroline tiptoed forward and gently put her arm around the screaming Vicki Donovan. Her concerned blue eyes were locked on the body, keeping her boots clear of the vivid blood that had already been smeared on the hardwood floors.

The scent of blood was mixed with the acrid odor of something burning in the fireplace.

In addition to the sound of Mother Nature's rage outside, the shower in the master bathroom was running. Water smacked against porcelain. Warm humid air crept in from the open doorway.

Tyler's lifeless body was clad only in a navy blue towel wrapped around his waist.

"Call 911!" Vicki screamed, pushing Caroline away roughly. "Someone call 911!"

Matt Donovan came rushing in, followed by the vampire Caroline opened the door for.

"Call 911!" Vicki screamed again.

Matt opened his arms for his sister, holding her in a warm embrace. "He's gone." Struggling against his hold for a moment, Vicki collapsed into his arms as great sobs racked her body.

"Ty! Tyler! No," Jeremy Gilbert shouted, dropping to his knees at the sight in front of him. He had emerged from the basement game room at the commotion.

Crawling to the body, his clothes soaked up blood. His hands slipped in what formerly kept Tyler alive. Gently, Jeremy lifted Tyler's head onto his lap.

.

.

.

All roads led home.

Klaus Mikaelson was back in his birthplace, Mystic Falls, Virginia due to some sort of cosmic joke. Despite their incompetence in killing all vampires over the centuries, the Mystic Falls Council did end up with valuable artifacts. The Lockwoods in particular had something in their possession that would change the world. As agent of that change, Klaus came to get what was rightfully his.

Tyler Lockwood, spoiled orphaned son, holding a party as he arrived in town was not a problem. Underlings watching the house kept him abreast of the situation. Hurricane Claudette kept Tyler right where he wanted him.

However, the murder of Tyler Lockwood was a problem.

If an unknown third party killed Tyler to obtain the moonstone, Klaus would have to start from scratch. That kind of rebellion would not stand and put him in a bit of a mood.

Staking Tyler appeared to be an act of passion, not the result of cold blooded, rational strategy. He himself would have ripped Tyler's head off. His brother would have ripped his heart out. His sister would have bled him dry. Tyler's death pointed to the supernatural. Presumably a human would use a knife to slash at his throat, chest, or arms, not stake him in the heart.

Regardless, a stake to the heart wouldn't do much more than annoy Klaus and he wasn't leaving until he got what he came for.

Covertly he texted a message to his brother Elijah. Satisfied, he gave his attention to those in the room. He formed quick conclusions.

Of the four, three were human. Their hearts were doing a merry dance inspired by the shock and horror of Tyler's murder. The fourth had a much slower heartbeat.

The brunette screeching woman was a mess. She clung to the man next to her. Klaus thought her terror had more to do with losing her drug supplier than anything else. The panicked bloodshot eyes and faint track marks were obvious clues. Her bevy of bracelets didn't do enough to hide bruises on her wrists. Under her jawline there were pale dots. A vampire had been there and left scars.

The two men were divided. One was comforter and one needed comforting. The older blond man had broad shoulders for the woman to cling to. His blue eyes didn't leave Tyler's face while he held her. There was something military or law enforcement-like about his upright bearing. The younger dark haired one on the floor cradled Tyler's head. He was completely unaware of those around him. Tenderness in his touch revealed the affection the boy held for Tyler.

Finally and never possibly the least was the stunning blonde who greeted him at the door. She was worth time and attention. It would be part of his investigation. If he wasn't mistaken, she was the possessor of the slower heartbeat. Sidling infinitesimally closer to her, he confirmed his suspicions. The blonde was a vampire.

Before he could do more than admire her startling beauty and identify her supernatural status, a trio of newcomers joined them. It had only been a minute since he himself raced up the stairs.

Violent wind gusts buffeted the windows, reminding them of the storm's relentless pressure.

In order to observe them, Klaus discreetly made his way to the blonde's side.

"Oh my god," Elena Gilbert cried in anguish. Her delicate hand covered her mouth in shock at the scene. "Is he?"

"Yup. Dead," Damon Salvatore intoned casually, blackened veins discreetly showing under his eyes before he powered them away.

Vicki's sobs intensified at his callous tone.

Damon's brother wasn't as casually accepting of the scene. Stefan Salvatore's menacing vampire features came on swiftly. He was drawn to blood like a moth to a flame. Tracks like hot tar poured down his cheeks. His skin tightened and thinned. Wan pallor paled further. Brown eyes became darker and reddened. Vicious fangs emerged from between his lips.

In an attempt to hide, Stefan reeled Elena in for a hug. Her hair was wet and didn't provide as much cover as he wished for as he regained composure.

.

.

.

As soon as the latest pretty brunette with her male retinue walked into the room, Caroline felt the surge of energy flow through the handsome vampire to her left. Miffed despite everything, Caroline crossed her arms over her chest.

.

.

.

Fate was smiling on him.

Not only would Klaus retrieve the moonstone, but Katherine Pierce as well. Her death would be glorious. Anticipation thrummed through him.

Hands clasped behind his back, Klaus let out a cough.

There was no hint of fear in her brown eyes. There was no recognition either. Katherine was an excellent actress, but there was something more.

Confused, an emotion he loathed, Klaus cocked his head to the side. He studied her even more closely. Her eyes widened at his unexpected and undivided attention. She hadn't reacted to Tyler's blood. Her skin looked more flushed than her two companions. Concentrating hard, he heard it. There was a new human heartbeat joining the symphony of others.

She was not Katherine Pierce.

Providence was shining on him.

The day was becoming even more delightful.

"Seriously?" Caroline muttered under her breath at the beautiful, dimpled smile the stranger graced on the other woman. There was a dead body and he was flirting.

Amused at the pretty blonde's remark, Klaus leaned towards Caroline, whispering as Elena joined Jeremy on the floor, "Sorry, love. She looks exactly like someone I used to know." Deciding to reveal he knew her own secret, "The sight of blood does something to me."

"Settle down, Romeo," she hissed.

His devilish smirk somehow emphasized his angelic countenance.

"What's that smell?" Stefan asked, head lifting to look around.

"Something in the fireplace," Matt answered. The dark smoke was dissipating.

"We need to call the police," Caroline said loudly, picking her phone out of her back pocket. She was willing to make the call. When she looked at the screen, there was an unread text message. Bonnie made it home. It was a relief that Bonnie was safe, but Caroline wasn't so sure she was.

There was a killer on the loose. Tyler didn't accidentally trip and fall on a wooden stake. He'd been murdered.

The sad truth was the only one Caroline felt safe around was the mystery vampire. He couldn't get inside the mansion until after Tyler died. She saw it for herself. Therefore, his alibi was the only one she trusted.

"I'll call it in," Matt said, propping his sister up so he could reach his phone.

The lingo was familiar enough that Caroline put her phone away. "Are you a policeman?" she asked hopefully.

"Not quite," Damon snarked, leaning back against the doorframe. Feet crossed at the ankles, his tall frame was clad in dark jeans and a maroon shirt. He looked as if he didn't have a care in the world. "He's still using training wheels. Do you even get a taser?"

Matt ignored the remarks and looked at Caroline as he unlocked his phone. "I'm in the police academy."

"You did this!" Jeremy screamed, setting Tyler's head down. He ran at Damon.

Everyone was taken aback by his outburst.

Quickly Stefan stepped between the two men.

"Jeremy," Elena cried, trying to grab his arm.

"I know it was you," Jeremy spat, enraged and covered in Tyler's blood. Since Damon didn't do more than stand up straight, Jeremy got even more upset. Freeing his arm nearest Elena, he pointed a bloody finger at Damon. "I'll get you for this." Shrugging off both Stefan and his sister, Jeremy ran from the room.

Outside, another tree fell. The resounding crash sent them jumping.

"Wait," Caroline said quickly. She stepped forward and put her hand on Matt's. A welcome thought had come to her. Her voice was soft when she spoke. "What if he's in transition?"

The question stunned the room.

"Transition?" Vicki asked, wiping a hand under each eye. Mascara was smeared all over. She was the picture of tragedy.

"You know," Caroline told her, still softly, hand out, "if he turns." With her eyes, Caroline tried to explain it. There was no connection made by Vicki though. "Into a vampire."

"A vampire?" Vicki gasped.

"Give it a rest, Vicks. Blondie here has a point. Maybe Ty-Ty will pop back up good as new."

Damon's words had them all looking at the body on the floor. Neither Matt, Vicki, nor Elena pretended they didn't know vampires existed. They were a factor in their Mystic Falls lives.

Matt slipped his phone away, agreeing they shouldn't call the police just then. He also rationalized that calling an officer out in the hurricane was an unnecessary risk.

With a pointed look Damon asked Caroline, "How do you know about vampires?" She was a stranger none of them had ever heard of before. Allegedly she was friends with the absent Bonnie Bennett.

"I read Twilight and I bet you sparkle in the sun."

Klaus' grin was absolutely delighted.

Crossing her arms over her chest again, Caroline stared them all down less the man behind her. While she second guessed calling the police for the moment and hoped Tyler would gasp for breath in minutes, there was still a problem to be solved. No one else appeared willing to solve it. "Who staked him?"

No one said a word.

"Ok," Caroline started, "is this…"

"Barbie," Damon interrupted snidely.

"Caroline," a male voice called out.

Heads turned.

"What?"

"Her name is Caroline," Klaus explained, earning a smile from the woman herself.

"Caroline," Damon drawled in faux politesse, "what makes you think you can solve this or that you should?" He was on a roll. "Why don't you and your boy toy find a room and leave this to the big boys?"

Caroline looked at Klaus when she heard the boy toy line. Frankly, she could do a lot worse than the best looking guy she'd seen outside television and movies.

"We didn't have any trouble," Damon continued, sauntering towards them, "until you two showed up."

Their matching eye rolls were impressive.

There was also a part of Caroline that thought Damon was right. Maybe she should leave Mystic Falls drama to the Mystic Falls people. She was only there until the roads were drivable and she could escape. She wasn't a sheriff like her mom. She wasn't in the police academy like Matt. Marathoning crime shows on Netflix wouldn't serve her in the real world.

On the other hand, she wasn't going to stay in a house where there was an unidentified murderer on the loose. Especially a murderer with a penchant for wooden stakes. If she could identify him or her, she could do something to ensure her safety. "I can't leave right now, so yes, I'm going to figure this out," she vowed. The look on Damon's face was one she'd seen often in her life. The ire rose up and it prompted her to continue, "Whenever anyone says I can't do something, I prove them wrong."

"While anyone would be lucky to be Caroline's boy toy," Klaus jumped in with a smirk that made her grin and look down, "we just met a moment ago." Stepping forward, he kept them all in front of him. The straining windows were at his back. Tyler's inert body was on the floor to his left. "My name is Klaus Mikaelson."

Right on cue the house shuddered. Branches snapped. Shutters slapped the house. Flying debris flashed past the windows.

"The Klaus Mikaelson?" Stefan asked, reaching for Elena's hand.

The name got more of a reaction from Damon than Jeremy's murderous accusations. He pushed himself in front of Elena. "The Original Klaus Mikaelson?"

The humans watched the conversation flow between the two sets of vampires. There was Stefan and Damon with Elena near the door. Closer to the fireplace, Caroline and Klaus stood. In the middle, Matt and Vicki held each other.

"So you have heard of me, excellent," Klaus taunted with a roll of his eyes in a sing-song voice. "I wasn't sure how quickly news and rumors spread here."

"Why are you here?" Matt questioned him, unsure what the Salvatores knew, but picking up on the heightened tension.

"The newly departed had something of mine."

"And you came in a hurricane?" Caroline asked critically.

A shrug was his answer.

"What does Tyler have?" Vicki asked, still using the present tense.

"A bauble," the Original answered, watching their eyes. "Nothing to concern yourself with."

The words were not comforting. Nor were his next ones.

One long finger rose into the air. "I believe Caroline asked a question. Who staked Tyler Lockwood?"


	4. Chapter 4

Jeremy Gilbert angrily tied his sneakers and stood up from the leather couch. He'd raced back down to the game room after accusing Damon of Tyler's murder. The lights flickered on and off as he reached for his overnight bag and car keys. He had to get out of there. While he hated leaving his sister, Elena wouldn't leave Stefan, her awful boyfriend and his murderous brother.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Tyler wasn't supposed to be dead. They were supposed to play Madden together once everyone else was gone. That's what Tyler promised. Now Tyler was gone.

Taking the stairs two at a time up to the front door of the house, Jeremy walked into the swirling night. The air was thick and oddly refreshing despite the thrashing wind. Anything was better than staying in the house.

"Going somewhere?" an elegant voice called out from near the oversized garage.

Narrowing his eyes, Jeremy couldn't see anyone, but he kept moving forward, head down. "Party's over, bro. Go home."

A figure appeared in front of him. The man had dark hair and dark eyes. Wearing a suit without a tie, he made quite the spectacle dressed so formally in the middle of Hurricane Claudette.

His appearance unnerved Jeremy, but didn't scare him as much as being inside did.

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave."

"There's no way I'm staying here." Pushing around the man, Jeremy tugged his bag higher up his arm. Opening his truck door, he was about to toss his bag inside when his arm was halted and the door closed. "Dude, I'm not staying. Leave me alone."

Elijah Mikaelson didn't enjoy standing outside in the rain. His Savile Row suit was being destroyed, but if Klaus didn't want anyone to leave, no one would leave. "Dude," he mocked the man, "you can't leave." He pointed at the huge oak tree blocking the end of the driveway. It hadn't landed that way. No, Elijah had been resourceful after it snapped in half and nudged it into place.

"Then I'll walk," the stubborn man informed him.

Understanding that subtle tactics weren't working, Elijah leaned forward and stared into the younger man's eyes. "Go back into the house. You will not leave until I tell you."

Jeremy's heart rate picked up. Another vampire. Sick of feeling helpless, picturing Tyler's lifeless body in the house, Jeremy dropped his bag and ran for the woods, hoping the vampire would be distracted by both the bag and by him not being compelled. If he could make it to the swaying trees, they could provide cover if the vampire was afraid of being accidentally staked. It was a weak option, but all he had.

Irritated he'd neglected to consider all the possibilities, Elijah raced in front of Jeremy, catching him easily. Grabbing his arm, he hauled the enraged man and his bag back to the front of the house. Throwing the large door open, he glared at Jeremy. "It's more dangerous out here. Stay inside." Then he pushed him inside.

Shaking with rage and fear, Jeremy leaned against the closed door at his back, drops of rain falling from his fingers. "Fuck!"

"Jer!" Elena called as she emerged from Tyler's room along with the others who heard his yell. "What happened?"

"Let's see, Elena. He," he raged, pointing at Damon, "killed Tyler and some asshole outside won't let me leave."

"Who?" asked Matt.

"Never seen him before," Jeremy murmured, kicking at his bag and swiping his hands through his wet hair.

Matt looked around. Tyler hadn't moved since he'd been killed. He wasn't sure how long it would take to find out if he'd turn into a vampire or not, but the situation was spinning out of control. "I'll take you and Vicki home." With one arm around his sister and the other reaching for his phone, he hit 9-1- before the phone was snatched away from him.

"You've met my brother Elijah," Klaus chirped, clearing the started emergency call from Matt's phone. "You're better off in here than in the storm," he said calmly, pleased when the lights flicked off and on again. "There are trees down and the roads are flooded. For your own safety, you should stay inside."

"But not you?" Caroline asked him, wary of the power he exuded and control he was taking. His brother was here too?

"Pardon?"

"You said that we should stay inside, as if you'd be ok out there," Caroline explained. "We're all adults here and we can leave if we want to."

So Caroline had claws did she? Klaus kept his cool, more drawn to her with every word out of her feisty mouth. "I would be fine, but if some evil befell any of you, well then I'd feel just awful," he cooed insincerely, hand rising up to his chest in mock horror.

"Seriously?" she snarked with an eye roll, listening as another tree fell outside. The hurricane was raging as hard as it had been all night.

A smirk was the only response she got from the irritating and handsome man.

"You can't leave in this," Elena told Jeremy, walking downstairs to him. "We'll go tomorrow morning when the winds die down."

Glaring at Damon over her shoulder, Jeremy allowed Elena to put her hand on his arm. "There is a tree blocking the driveway," he admitted. There would probably be even more coming down before the night was through. He hated to admit, but he was stranded there.

"Excellent! We're agreed," Klaus added. "Mr. Police Academy it would be foolish to call for your fellow first responders to come out here now." Handing Matt his phone back, Klaus watched the others.

The group began to disperse around the house in small groups, each eyeing the other with distrust. Jeremy alone went back down to the game room. Stefan comforted Elena with Damon tagging along. Matt and Vicki returned to Tyler's side in hopes his lifeless body would stir.

Klaus followed Caroline into the kitchen. "Feeling a bit peckish?"

Smirking, Caroline pulled out two frozen pizzas and set them inside the oven. The kitchen was a dream come true. Carrara marble countertops. A Viking range. Large farm sink. Gorgeous white custom cabinetry. The only thing marring the photo-shoot worthy room was the sign of its owner. Feeling bad thinking so poorly of a dead man, Caroline began to clean. It set her mind at ease to pick up the opened and empty boxes of cereal and to put the empty beer bottles in the recycling bin. "Did he have any family? Someone should contact them."

The lights flickered again and Klaus was startled to see the compassion in Caroline's bright blue eyes. She was a vampire, far superior to a mere human and did not seem to know Tyler, yet was moved by his death. "His uncle died in a surfing accident last year." Klaus didn't share that Mason Lockwood's death was not quite as natural as it sounded. "How did you end up here Caroline…?"

"Forbes," she answered, tying the top of a trash bag.

"Caroline Forbes," Klaus repeated. It was a timeless name and it suited her.

He took off his jacket and slipped it onto the back of a chair. The gray of his henley made his eyes appear as stormy as the hurricane outside.

"I live in Atlanta, but my best friend is from here. She invited me to spend Thanksgiving weekend with her, but didn't quite make it." She sighed as she lined the garbage bin with a new bag. "She's better off since this turned into one of those dinner party murder mysteries, except it's not a game."

Hands tucked behind his back, Klaus watched her flit around the room, cleaning up a dead man's home. "And who do you think killed young Mr. Lockwood? Miss Scarlett in the master bedroom with a wooden stake?"

Rather than answer, Caroline's smile disappeared as she tucked a tress of hair behind her ear. "Why are you here, Klaus? No one here knows you either. Who are you and what kind of name is Klaus, anyway?"

Smirking, the man in question opened the refrigerator. He'd spotted a chilled bottle of white wine when she'd opened the door earlier. It didn't seem Tyler's style, but he was appreciative. Holding the bottle up, he tipped it towards her in question. "I don't think Tyler would mind," he added cheekily.

Caroline shrugged, a little unnerved by his charisma. She was supposed to be protecting herself by identifying a murderer, not cleaning a kitchen and flirting with a notorious vampire. Shaking her head at herself when she wondered if he was single, she swept her hand along the countertop. The way Damon and Stefan reacted upstairs to his name meant this man was someone she ought to know. Was Klaus a friend or foe?

As she sipped the deliciously crisp Pinot Grigio, she perched herself onto a stool, watching Klaus. With his arrival…in the dark…in a hurricane, he seemed to cultivate an air of mystery. Even if she wasn't worried for her own safety, her eyes would be drawn to him.

"I was born here in Mystic Falls…in the tenth century."

Sputtering, Caroline slapped a hand to her chest. Sure he had to drop that bomb right when she was taking a sip.

When Klaus walked towards her, she put her hand out to stop him. After a coughing fit, she looked at him with watery blue eyes. "Seriously?"

Recognizing that it must be one of her favorite phrases, Klaus grinned and used it himself. "Seriously, Caroline Forbes." Her eyes flashed at him and his pulse kicked. There was heat there in her eyes. She should be afraid of him, especially knowing how old he was, but she wasn't or not enough to keep her from him and maybe the latter was even more attractive. Despite her cool blonde hair-blue eyed appearance, she was all fire and determination.

Wanting her to know more and see how she reacted, he revealed more. "My name is Niklaus Mikaelson. My family was the first turned into vampires." He leaned back against a counter. "You owe my family a debt of gratitude really."

Her eye roll was massive. He wanted to grin at how adorable she was, but refrained.

"I don't think so," she told him with a fake smile. He couldn't stop from grinning that time.

"If not for my family, you wouldn't be here."

At that, her mood shifted.

"You don't know what happened to me, Klaus, I'm not in your debt and you haven't told me why you're here." She pinned him with a look as a huge gust of wind raged outside. "I know you didn't kill Tyler."

One blond eyebrow lifted gracefully. "Do you now?"

"You couldn't get inside until after Tyler died. It's why you wanted me to get him to the door."

Klaus' head tipped in admiration, yet also caution. Ms. Forbes was smart and observant, a deadly combination. As an asset in rooting out Tyler's murderer she would be valuable, but his first goal was finding the moonstone. Once in hand, he'd be paying the Petrova doppleganger a return visit. "And how do I know you didn't kill him?"

The brittle grin he got in return was blinding. "You don't."

The blonde vampire certainly did have fangs and dared show them off a little. "Well, well Ms. Forbes. Should I be afraid?"

The flash she saw in Klaus' eyes at her provocation was both unsettling and sexy. A huge part of her nature, the fact that she was a vampire, was something she kept hidden everywhere, all the time. With this man in front of her, this millennia-old vampire, she didn't have to hide that she drank blood to survive. She didn't have to pretend to walk when she could race in the blink of an eye. The temptation to revel in her nature was extremely appealing. He must have seen and done it all in his thousand years on the planet. The idea of it was intoxicating.

However, there was someone in the house willing to kill. She might even be next.

"No, Klaus. I didn't kill Tyler. I don't belong here. I'm an event planner in the wrong place at the wrong time. I want to get out of here and the only way I can protect myself is finding out who is staking people." She eyed him over her wine. "Why did you come tonight?"

"The Lockwood family has a bauble that belongs to me. And here I am."

"What it is?"

Klaus refilled their glasses with the last of the bottle.

"A stone, about the size of an egg. Mostly clear, but with a slightly milky appearance."

"What are you going to do with it?"

"That's neither here nor there."

"What do I get if I find it?" she teased.

"My eternal thanks," he replied stiffly, not willing to joke about something so important.

The oven timer buzzed, breaking the tension.

Accepting that she might be getting off track, Caroline slipped on oven mitts she found buried in a drawer and set the two pizzas on cutting boards. With the likelihood that power would go out sooner rather than later, Caroline slipped in two more pizzas, re-setting the timer. Thankfully the house had plenty of pizza and beer. For one night, it would do.

"Was that everyone?" Klaus asked as he watched her slice the pizza.

"Hmmm?"

"Upstairs. Is there anyone else in the house?"

Using her finger to break off a piece of melted cheese, Caroline put three slices on a plate and slid it towards him. "I think so. They're the only ones I've seen." She looked at Klaus. "Do you think he's really dead-dead?"

"I do."

She nodded, believing it too. It was wishful to think he'd come back when no one would admit to turning him.

Filling two more plates with two and three pieces of pizzas, she loaded up her arms with them and a stack of napkins.

"Where are you off to?" he enquired.

"The scene of the crime."


	5. Chapter 5

"Anything?" Caroline asked gently as she entered Tyler's room.

Tyler's body hadn't moved and the pool of blood around him had grown larger. It was a truly disturbing sight. Vicki was sitting near his feet. Matt was close behind her, propping her up. He shook his head.

The shower was still running. The fire was almost out. The windows continued to creak and groan in distress.

Caroline set the two plates of pizza down on Tyler's dressing table.

"How long did it take for you to…you know?" Matt asked warily, eyes full of grief.

"I don't know how long I was out." Caroline's words were soft, but clipped.

Becoming a vampire was a hard change to accept, but it gave her a future. Thinking about her death though was still difficult. During her sophomore year Spring Break in New Orleans, Caroline along with too many innocent victims were attacked by a knife-wielding maniac with a grudge in a coffee shop. Able to crawl her way to try and get help despite being stabbed three times, her life was saved when vampire blood was shoved into her mouth. Many others weren't so lucky. Her survivor's guilt was intense along with all the strange emotions involved with turning into a vampire.

"You're Bonnie's friend?" Matt asked, using some of his academy training despite being consumed by the loss of his best friend.

"I am," Caroline said, pulling her phone out of her back pocket so she wouldn't sit on it before parking on the floor next to them. She pulled her knees up into her chest. Her eyes strayed to Tyler. "Bonnie and I went to Vandy together. She was on her way tonight, but her flight was delayed and there were trees coming down in the road so she went to her dad's instead."

Matt nodded.

"I was on the phone with her right before…" she trailed off, not needing to finish that sentence as Vicki tensed. Focusing on her phone, Caroline noticed she didn't have cell service any longer. "Where were you guys?"

If looks could kill, Caroline would be dead again.

Reining his sister in, Matt answered. "Vicki and I were watching a movie in her room." His voice got a little choked up. "Waiting for Tyler. He said he needed a quick shower."

After a moment and after she cleared her throat, she nodded at the plates on the dresser. "I know it seems like an awful time to mention it, but I'm not sure how much longer we'll have power. It's pepperoni."

Vicki slashed her a hard look. "I'm a vegetarian."

"There's a cheese one in the oven right now. It should only be a few more minutes. I'll wait here, with him," she offered kindly. While she didn't particularly like these people, she wasn't going to judge them on how they handled the loss of their friend and soon enough she'd be gone and out of their lives for good.

"It's not like you can kill him again," Vicki accused her, eyes flashing as she stood up.

"Vicki," Matt scolded her.

Caroline stood too, forgetting her plan to kill them with kindness, metaphorically that is. "I didn't kill him. I didn't know him."

"You want to make him a vampire just like you."

"Uh no, I don't."

"Why don't you just leave us alone? We don't want you here."

"Vicki," Matt hissed again, tugging her towards the door.

"I seriously don't want to be here and someone's going around with wooden stakes," Caroline snapped, standing her ground, arms crossed over her chest. "I want to find out what happened here just as much as you and I want to leave. I'm sorry for your loss, but It wasn't me. Who did this?"

Matt propelled Vicki in front of him as they left the bedroom. "Watch your back, Caroline."

Only a little or a lot creeped out by the warning, Caroline watched as they stomped down the stairs.

Alone, she started searching the fireplace. The hurricane outside brought mild, humid air to Virginia. It was much too warm for a fire. So who started it and why?

The flames were almost out, but fire and vampires did not mix.

Using an iron fireplace poker, Caroline sifted through the contents, trying to figure out what she was looking at. It wasn't paper. Her poking gave the fire new life which frustrated her. After a few minutes, she was able to pin down something that didn't belong. Pulling it towards her carefully, she set it on the very edge of the brick for it to cool enough for her to handle.

Leaving it for a moment, Caroline moved to the bathroom. Like the kitchen, it was beautiful, but messy. Tyler clearly had a housecleaning service because it wasn't dirty, but clothes and towels were strewn everywhere.

With a wince, she checked the shower water temperature. It was cold which meant she probably wouldn't get a hot shower before bed, although being that vulnerable in the house wasn't something she was itching for. She shut off the water. Opening and closing drawers, she found the usual things she expected from her minute-long interaction with the man. Spare toothbrushes. Boxes of condoms. Lube. He looked like he shopped in bulk too.

By the time she came out, the fire was dead. She tucked her blackened clue in tissues and slipped it into her back pocket.

She had more luck with a search of his nightstand. There she found a bag of joints and three prescription bottles. All three were in Tyler's name. They all came from different prescribers. Kadian. Valium. Oxycontin. The last two she'd heard of, but not the first and with cell service out she couldn't look it up. The pill bottles were mostly empty. Maybe Tyler was sick or hurt before his death.

His phone was on top of his nightstand, charging. Slipping his phone off the cord and her phone on, she examined his. It was an iPhone 8.

Feeling pretty guilty and grossed out but also concerned with the dangerous situation she was in, Caroline gingerly pressed each of Tyler's fingers to the home button until she was able to unlock it.

Unsure how much time she'd have to snoop around, she changed his passcode to one of her own so she could have unfettered access and slipped the phone into her back pocket.

Finally, Caroline searched the rest of the room. There was nothing on his bed other than the rumpled sheets.

Satisfied she found everything she was going to find, Caroline walked into the hallway carrying the plates of cooling pizza with her. The oven timer buzzed faintly in the kitchen and as she started down the stairs, she heard someone open the oven.

Thankful someone was taking care of it, Caroline made her way to the other end of the second floor hallway. She hadn't yet been on that side of the house.

There were doors on each side. All of them were closed. Voices were only coming out of one of them.

Using her powers of eavesdropping for good, Caroline stepped up to the door cautiously, wincing again as the lights continued to flicker.

"I should go check on Jer."

"He wants to be alone, Elena," a deep voice drawled.

"Damon, you should go. You're making things worse."

"If there wasn't an Original forcefield apparently keeping us inside, I would, brother," the first male voice hissed.

"Who was that guy?" the woman asked. "Why did you freak out when he said his name?"

"I don't freak out."

That was ignored.

"He's one of the first vampire ever," the second man answered. "He's at least 10 times as powerful as Damon and I. He's rumored to be insane and lethal. I've only heard his name whispered and his brother is said to be just as dangerous."

"And why is he here?"

No one answered the woman.

"Did he kill Tyler? Why?"

No one answered her again.

"I was in the shower," she continued. "You were together, right?"

Caroline couldn't hear anything once again.

It was time to make her presence known in case someone found her snooping so obviously in the open, so she kicked the door to serve as a knock since her hands were full.

"Thanks," Damon snarked as he took the plates upon opening the door and then slamming it shut in her face.

Seconds later it reopened. "He's a dick," the vampire Stefan said apologetically before the lights went out again, but didn't flicker back on.

The power was officially out.

"There's more pizza in the kitchen."

"Thanks," Stefan said kindly before closing the door again.

Thankful to not be shut in a dark room with two vampires who she both suspected strongly of Tyler's murder, Caroline returned to Tyler's room to grab her phone. Being in the dark room with his dead body was awful. She quickly left and opened the other doors in the hallway, using her phone's flashlight to lead the way.

There were three more guest bedrooms. One appeared to be occupied by Vicki based on the smell of perfume in the air and clothes covering the bed. Able to find a handful of decorative candles and a few blankets while she quickly investigated, she returned to the room Stefan, Elena, and Damon were in.

Again, Damon answered the door gruffly.

Without words, Caroline shoved a few candles into his chest.

"How are we supposed to light these?" he asked sardonically.

Sick of the man and his condescension, Caroline snapped. "Do you want me to wipe your ass too?"

With Elena and Stefan's soft laughter in the air, Caroline carefully went down the stairs.

"I found some candles," Caroline said loudly, walking into the kitchen, not wanting to appear out of the shadows.

Matt's phone was on the counter, flashlight side up.

"You left him," Vicki snapped, setting a bottle of beer down on the counter with a loud bang.

"Sorry," Caroline told her, forgetting that she said she'd stay with Tyler. Fumbling through the drawers where she thought she remembered a candle lighter, Caroline eventually found it. She lit two short and stubby candles, handing one to Matt so he could turn his phone off and setting one in the middle of the kitchen island. It didn't light up the large room, but created large shadows along the edges of the space.

"Let's go, Matty," Vicki sniffed, tears dripping down her face again at the loss of Tyler.

"Did Tyler have an injury or was he sick?" Caroline asked before either of them could leave.

"What?" Matt asked, confused. "No."

"Oh. I found some pills in his bedside table."

"You fucking looked through his things!" Matt yelled while Vicki's eyes focused intently on Caroline. "That's a crime scene."

"Stay away from him! He doesn't want you," Vicky screamed.

Flinching, Caroline didn't move from her spot, because hello Mr. Police Academy was all up in the crime scene too and maybe even killed Tyler and Vicki was obviously insane if she thought Caroline wanted anything to do with Tyler after meeting him for five minutes. "I used his phone charger and the drawer was open. I figured if he was hurt or something, maybe someone did turn him on purpose." Yeah, she lied, but clearly the people in this house were cray-cray.

Unimpressed with her answer, Matt shot Caroline a glare as he escorted Vicki away from her for the second time.

"You're making quite the impression, sweetheart," Klaus said with a smirk in his voice as he came in from the other door leading into the kitchen.

Running her hands through her hair, Caroline sighed, weary.

"Don't let them bother you," Klaus advised, irritated to see the way she was looking defeated. "They're defensive. The woman's a junkie and those pills you found will be gone before you know it. He's defensive because his friend was her dealer and lover, I presume, and yet he did nothing about it."

Klaus stalked closer to her in the candlelit room and Caroline was reminded of the conversation she'd overheard upstairs. Was Klaus lethal and insane? Was everyone else?

"Did you notice the scars on her neck?"

"What?" Caroline's head snapped up, blue eyes meeting blue eyes. "She's wearing a choker."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I forget how blind you baby vampires are."

Her mouth twitched.

"The necklace and bracelets don't hide her scars very well, Caroline."

The windows rattled as a particularly nasty gust of wind shook the house. The sound of leaves slapping the glass distracted her from the distressing idea that a vampire had been drinking from Vicki enough to not literally cover his tracks. The idea gave her a chill. It was simple to heal a blood donor yet this unknown vampire couldn't even do that. Were they also responsible for callously killing Tyler Lockwood in his own home?

"Can I really not leave?" she asked.

"Not in this."

She nodded, walking towards the front door, expecting that answer. "I need to get my luggage out of my car."

Klaus stopped her with a hand on her arm. "My brother's already out there. Tell me the car and he'll get it for you."

Wary, but still tentatively trusting The Original, Caroline ran quickly to where her purse had been left in the living room, using another one of the candles.

Keys in hand, she gave them to Klaus with a description of her car.

Hearing him opening the front door, Caroline rubbed her arms. It was dangerous inside and outside. She needed a safe place to hole up in.

Remembering there was an office on the ground floor she'd stumbled on while looking for a bathroom to freshen up in earlier, Caroline returned to it.

Dark wood bookcases lined the walls. Dark green valances sat atop gorgeous windows. A huge desk sat in the center, empty except for a tasteful lamp. A large brown tufted leather sofa looked comfy.

Klaus took Caroline's luggage from Elijah who was looking the worse for wear. Without words, he smirked at his big brother and closed the door behind him.

Following the light, he found the beautiful vampire in the office moving the desk closer to the door and the couch further away from it.

"Not Feng Shui?"

Laughing, Caroline turned to see Klaus in the doorway. "Probably not, but importantly not safe."

"Safe from what?"

"Umm, a psycho killer?"

"Ah," Klaus noted, hands shifting behind his back after he pushed her luggage into the room. "You're going to hunker down here with the desk in front of the door."

"Yup." She shifted the desk a little closer to her goal. She wasn't ready to shut herself off from the rest of the house quite yet, but she would be soon.

Nonchalantly, he pointed out to her, "It wouldn't keep an Original out."

Glaring, with a hand on her hip, Caroline popped upright, pointing her finger at him. "No. No way. Don't try to mess with my head, Klaus."

"It's the truth," he told her, eyes glittering, delighted at her fire that returned full force. At her continued glare, his grin turned mischievous. "You told me you trusted me."

Head tipped, Caroline explained, "I never said I trusted you." His hand went to his chest in mock hurt once again and she rolled her eyes as she continued, "I said that I know you didn't kill Tyler."

"Semantics."

Her lips twitched. "It's not," she explained, getting the desk right where she wanted it. "And this is all I have to protect myself," she added in a softer voice. Barring the door should give her enough time to go on the attack if needed. It wasn't a joke to her.

Losing the playful attitude, Klaus stood in front of Caroline, gently tipping up her chin. A bolt of awareness flowed through both of them at his touch. She was flawless in the faint light. Clear blue eyes. Gorgeous pale skin. Pastel pink lips. "I swear I will keep you safe, sweetheart."

The soft words hung between them.

He shocked himself at the promise. Keeping people safe was not what he did, but he'd do it for her.

"Thank you," she whispered. Tipping her head towards the couch, she said softly, "Klaus, I'll show you mine if you show me yours."


End file.
